Obsidian Fire
by The Apocalypse Lock
Summary: An official member of the Order now, Hermione is eager to start her missions. Never in a million years did she expect to be caring for the traitorous man who killed her Headmaster. SSHG, RLNT
1. Chapter 1

Okay, time for my very first SSHG fanfiction. Just to let you know, this will be AU. All of the books up to the end of HBP will remain the same. I'll be changing DH as I see fit to my needs. Different characters will be living/dying, and even the ending will be completely changing, most likely. If you have a problem with that, I will kindly ask you to gtfo. Thanks :3

P.S. Maybe the awesome fanbase here on FF will find me some new, awesome, roleplay partners? Nothing wrong with my old ones, of course (Lottie, CG, Hollie, and Jade, I love you guys!), but I need SSHG partners, too! Do you roleplay SSHG? Add that you do into a comment and we'll talk :B

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Even in the flickering light cast by the few candles, it was clear to see he was in pain. The tense muscles in his face showed that his jaw was clenched shut, and there was a light sheen to what she could see of his skin from the sweat. She wondered how long ago the fever had broken out, and wondered how long it had been before someone had decided he needed help.

She had been looking forward to the task, wanting to do her part as an official Order member now. Her sensibility and copious amounts of knowledge had allowed her to be sworn in, while Ronald and Harry still had not been. Remus, Alastor, and Kingsley had talked for long hours before making the decision.

Yesterday, she had been informed that she would be caring for another Order member who was injured in battle. She had been given their location and briefed about how debilitating the wound was. A list of duties she would be responsible for was rattled off; she was to tend to the wound as well as help with food, toiletries, and other necessities. The only thing she hadn't been told was who the person was.

When she arrived at the dreary house, the wards, which had been charmed to solely recognize her, allowed her in. She wondered who could possibly live in this gloomy house on Spinner's End.

Never in a million years did she expect to be nursing the man who had killed her Headmaster.

Her attention returned to the man before her. He desperately needed help. But how could she be expected to aid this traitorous bastard?

A tiny glint from the candles showed that he had now opened those obsidian eyes.

"Professor," she greeted dryly.

Severus Snape let out an exasperated sigh. Lupin had assured him that he would be helped. He had not, however, told him who he was sending to do so. Of course, he sent the Granger girl. The insufferable know-it-all who seemed to like to stir trouble with her arrogant friends, the Weasley boy and Potter.

"Granger," he replied gruffly, his normally silky voice sounding gravelly and hoarse.

"How long has this fever been raging?" she asked, though her tone was far from concerned.

Severus gritted his teeth as another wave of pain threatened to draw him under. "Eleven or twelve hours," he ground out, closing his eyes. "Did Lupin send you?"

The Gryffindor girl nodded curtly. "He did."

"Tell him to send someone more capable," he sneered, not pleased with the werewolf's decision. He should have sent someone less annoying, at the very least.

"Look, Professor," Hermione began coldly. "Neither of us want to be here, considering you're a murderous traitor and I a Muggleborn Gryffindor, but we both know I am as able to aid you as any Healer or Mediwitch from Mungo's. So you're just going to have to get used to it."

Severus had never heard the girl speak in such a loathing tone, not even in his classroom. He glared at her in a deadly manner, but merely nodded. He would explain his predicament with the ring, his godson, and Albus at a later time.

"Now let me have a look." She brushed the blankets out of the way and sat on the edge of the bed. The Head of Slytherin House didn't seem quite so intimidating when he cringed from such a simple gesture. She wasted no time in pushing up the left leg of his trousers.

The stink of rotting flesh almost made her turn away in disgust. It was much worse than she had been told. The scathe ripped through the side of his calf and almost reached the bone. The magical attempts to heal it appeared to be useless, although a strong clotting spell had stopped the bleeding. Greenish scabs crusted the outside edges and yellowish pus oozed out of them. Infection had obviously set in, hence the fever. If she didn't help him soon, he would likely die of blood poisoning.

"Shit," she breathed, surprising her former professor. "Shit."

"Language, Miss Granger," Severus replied smoothly. "Ten points from Gryffindor."

Hermione couldn't even come up with a decent retort now. So instead, she prodded his wound rather harshly with her wand, eliciting quite the growl from the moody Potions and Defence instructor. "I'm going to have to kindly ask you to stuff it, sir, or you just might die." No need for niceties when they weren't in school.

Casting a simple form of detection charm, she learned that the infection hadn't spread far. He was very lucky. "I'm going to draw out the infected blood. It's going to be uncomfortable." A bowl was conjured and she placed it on the bed beside her.

Severus had been about to make another smart remark, but that blasted girl caught him before he could, jabbing him in the leg again to shut him up. There was an unpleasant draining sensation and he peered down to see the blood siphoning into the bowl. He felt slightly nauseous as the sucking feeling faded.

"_Evanesco_," Hermione muttered and the bowl disappeared. She proceeded to clean up the infected flesh and muscle around the opening, then used the same clotting spell that had worked prior to her arrival. "We're going to need to check that frequently."

Before he could reply, the girl had a hand on his forehead. It was gone as soon as he noticed it was there. She looked pissed, and he couldn't for the life of him imagine why his temperature would anger her so.

She was quick to cast cooling charms on the blankets, the colors from her wand looking like the _aurora borealis_. "When was the last time you ate?" she snapped viciously.

He thought about this. Yesterday he had been confined to bed. The day before, he had been summoned into battle before he could eat. "Two nights ago," he answered hesitantly. "I will prepare my own meal, thank you."

"No, you're staying right here. You'll just hurt yourself worse, and I have no desire to be here any longer than necessary."

Severus abruptly sat up, setting his jaw and keeping his face strictly expressionless. He slid to the edge of the bed and placed his feet gingerly on the floor, scoffing at the witch's skeptical gaze. _I'll prove to her I can walk and then she can leave,_ he mused to himself.

Slowly, now. Couldn't stand up too fast or he'd be sure to collapse. He carefully stood with precise, measured movements. Most of his weight was on his right leg, his uninjured leg. This wouldn't be too horrible. He could definitely handle this. Taking one uneasy step forward…

"For Merlin's sake!" Hermione yelped as her former professor crumpled to the floor, swearing loudly. "I warned you!" she griped, stepping forward to help him back up as best she could. The bright witch promptly pushed him back onto the bed, ignoring his protest. "Don't do it again, or I fancy I'll have to put restraint charms on those blankets!" With a frustrated stomp and a flurry of bushy brown hair, she spun and exited the stuffy bedroom.


	2. Chapter 2

Four quick things:

1. Please review! A ton of people added this to their favourites and story alerts, but reviews are _greatly _appreciated.

2. Yes, I realize Hermione's being a bit thick at this point, but she's pissed. Give her some time, jeez.

3. Codeword information can be found at obsidianfire . webs . com under the Code tab.

4. I had to throw some Remus/Nymphadora in there. Couldn't resist :B

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_Etienne,_ the letter began. _Why was I not warned about this conniving magpie before you sent me to help it fly again? While I now realise that what happened with the magpie and crystal must have been something else entirely, I would quite enjoy knowing what really happened. You know how much knowledge means to me. Also, I'm running low on bird food. How shall I go about obtaining more? –Your favorite owl._

Remus sighed, running a hand through his graying hair as he placed the letter back down on the table.

"I'm confused," the pink-haired woman beside him stated, brows furrowing as she grabbed the letter and scanned it again. "First off, Etienne?"

"It's French. For 'crown' or 'royal'. Something along those lines. It's my codename since I've been assigned Head of the Order," he explained wearily, his eyes fluttering closed as he leaned back into the couch.

Tonks looked slightly intrigued. "Why haven't I been told about this code you're using?"

"Take it in no offense, Dora," he soothed, reaching for her hand and squeezing it gently. "Your line of work puts you frequently near dark wizards who could easily manipulate you and extract the code."

"Oh, please, Remus," she scoffed with the roll of her eyes. "Everyone in the Order faces that risk now. Did you forget we're at war?"

The werewolf was reluctant, but he knew Tonks was correct. "From what I can decipher, the term magpie refers to Severus. Magpies are considered dishonest and untrustworthy birds. Crystal is the codeword we use for Albus. With the crystal tomb and all. Maybe that's a bit too obvious. I'm assuming by bird food she means food in general. Other words we've decided on are just names. Alastor is Xray, Kingsley is The Voice, and Hermione is Owl. All for obvious reasons, but not so blunt that any Ministry officials, corrupt or otherwise, will be able to tell. So far as we can tell, Severus was the smartest Death Eater of the bunch. The others, as you've discovered, tend to be quite dull."

This was not a speech Tonks had been expecting him to be willing to give. She mulled over all of this information. "Can I have a codename?"

A low chuckle escaped Remus' throat. "Sure. You can be Bubblegum. For your preferred hair color." He stood, abandoning Tonks on the couch for the desk. "I have to write back."

In his concise, tidy script, he scrawled a reply.

_Owl. Unfortunately the tale of the magpie and the crystal is much too long to tell on parchment. It will have to wait for another day. Particularly on a day when the xray comes in and you have returned to the place of mourning. Or you could convince the magpie to sing its little tune for you. But it is not my place to tell such a tale. As for the bird food, I can have some delivered to the sweet shop down the street from the dreary house. It will be there at two o'clock p.m. tomorrow. Be sure to lock the magpie in its cage before you leave. –Etienne._

"Dora? Could you pick up some food for Hermione and Severus tomorrow?" The prematurely graying man turned back to his counterpart as he asked the question.

She gave a small nod. "When?"

"Around one in the afternoon. There's an abandoned sweet shop down the street from Severus' house on Spinner's End. Hermione will be waiting there at two to pick up the food."

"Sure, I can do that." She got to her feet and, managing not to trip, went to sit on her fiancé's lap. She hooked her arms around his neck gently. "You work yourself too had. Would you just take some time to relax?"

"I would, but I have so much Order stuff…" He finished the sentence with an incoherent mumble as the metamorphagus' mouth descended on his.

Their lips were slow and patient against each other's, sparking that familiar warmth in Remus' abdomen. "Dora," he sighed against her plush lips. "Dora, I've got work to do."

Tonks moved so she was sitting on the desk, grabbing Remus by the collar and pulling him up so he was standing. "Remus John Lupin, you are going to stop working and you are going to have me right here on this desk and you are going to like it," she demanded huskily.

How could he say no to that?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three.

Sorry chapter two was short. Shortness is occasionally necessary. And sorry this took so long, school madness going on, but that'll be over soon.

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Her hair was pulled into a tight bun, sure to give her a hairpin headache if she didn't hurry. Her face was altered beyond recognition and she donned a heavy fur coat, her wand stowed away inside it.

No one would know who she was.

Her uncomfortable heels (she much preferred sneakers) clicked along the street as she cautiously proceeded. She felt that it was a bit stupid to be taking care of a known Death Eater at his house. While the house had been charmed to allow no one but Hermione either in or out, that didn't prevent other Dark wizards from knowing the location of it. For all she knew, they could be out on the street, watching and waiting. She would have to owl Remus about that later.

Her eyes fell upon the building she was looking for. No one had warned her that it was an abandoned store. Remus had made it seem like it was still in business.

The boards nailed over the door proved to be of little difficulty. The locked door nearly fell off its hinges when she applied a bit more force. She stumbled forward, her heels catching on the uneven wood floor.

"Wotcher. Hey, tripping is my thing!" Tonks teased as she helped Hermione straighten. "Blimey, is that really you, 'Mione? Can't hardly recognise you!"

"That was sort of the point. It's nice to see you again. But, just for good measure…" She held out her wand, eyeing the pink-haired woman uneasily.

Tonks held up her hands as if surrendering. "My name is Nymphadora Tonks, daughter of Andromeda Black and Ted Tonks. I'm a metamorphagus, engaged to Remus Lupin. While my preferred hair colour is bubblegum-pink, naturally it's the same as yours." She grinned and waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "I can even tell you exactly where and how Remus and I had sex yesterday."

Hermione couldn't help a laugh. "No, that's alright. I don't need all of the gory details, thanks."

"Gory? Oh please, that's only on the full moon."

Hermione looked slightly horrified for a moment, but she knew Tonks was only joking and smiled.

The peppy woman handed her a few bags of food. "I brought you birdfood. Owls and magpies both need it, you know," she said with a wink, but then made a face of disgust. "Remus made me get a bunch of healthy stuff, but I snuck some pie and Turkish delight and whatnot in there."

The heavily disguised Gryffindor could have kissed the woman who had just given her these groceries; Turkish delight was one of her favourites, next to fruit-filled crepes and chocolate pudding. "Thank you so much, Tonks."

"No problem, hun," she replied, giving the younger girl a quick hug. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a delicious werewolf waiting at home for me."

Hermione would never be able to understand the large age-gap there, but nodded. "Tell Remus I said hello."

"What's hello in birdspeak?" Tonks asked. Her mouth turned into a beak and she let out a squawk, tilting her head as if to say, "Was that it?"

An amused laugh passed Hermione's lips and she nodded. "There you go. See you, Tonks."

And both of them left.

Returning the door to its former condition, Hermione strolled down the street, the bags of groceries looped over her left arm. That left her right hand free to grab her wand if necessary. It wasn't.

She unlocked the front door, alarmed as a Caterwauling charm was activated. With a wave of her wand, she silenced it, dropping the groceries and hurrying up the stairs. She abandoned the heels and fur coat as she went, pulling the hair band and bobby pins out and causing her hair to cascade down her back. "Professor? Professor Snape?"

She was relieved to find him still in bed, fuming over some book he had his nose in. "Did you cast a Caterwauling charm on the house?"

Severus gave a slight inclination of his head which she presumed to be a nod. "Seeing as I can only see and hear so much from this room, I'd like to know if someone managed to get past the protections on the house. So I can prepare."

There was a strange quality to the way he spoke, almost as if he was having trouble getting the words out.

"What are you reading?" she asked, pointing to his book.

"I'm _revising_ a Potions book," he grunted.

She yanked the book from his hands without warning. She stared down at it in confusion. He had written the same word several times, and yet every time it was spelled incorrectly and scribbled out.

"Migraine," he explained, laying back and letting his eyes fall shut.

Hermione understood for the most part. Migraines were frustrating when one was trying to think. "You should sleep. That usually helps."

That familiar scowl darkened his features. "How am I meant to sleep when all I can think about is the excruciating pain in my damned leg?"

Heaving a sigh, she sat on the edge of the bed. She pushed the blankets away to check his wound.

It was still fairly clean and no longer reeked of dying flesh and mottled blood. However, as she pushed away the blankets, the overwhelming smell of sweat from his fever nearly made her gag. "Maybe a shower would help, or at least it'd help with the stink. No offense, Professor."

"And how do you expect me to go about doing that, Miss Granger?" he snapped, opening his eyes.

This she had been dreading. "I'll just have to help you, I suppose." She ignored the groan of dismay Severus gave. "Sit up," she commanded.

The former Hogwarts faculty member was reluctant to do so, but eventually he sat up, closing his eyes as the simple actiong caused another wave of pain to crash on his leg. He opened them in surprise as the girl hooked his arm over her shoulder. "We'll stand up on three. One… two… three."

They both stood, and Severus bit into his cheek hard to prevent a yelp of pain. He ground his teeth together, closing his eyes again. "Let go of me," he grunted. "I can manage on my own."

"Right, that's what you said yestderday." Hermione did not release him, though she was regretting the decision, wanting as little contact with the sweaty, greasy-haired man as possible.

It took probably ten minutes, but she managed to get him into the bathroom down the hall and into the shower. It was impossible for him to support himself long enough for him to get clean. Reluctantly, she helped him out of his robe and shirt and then rolled up the legs of his pants. She then stepped into the shower with him, still fully clothed, and grudgingly turned the water to freezing cold.

"Bugger, that's frigid, much like your heart. Turn it off, child!" Severus demanded as the icy drops pounded against his chest and face.

"It will help bring the fever down," she explained, casting Impervio and then a warming charm on herself. "Hurry up and wash up, it's impossible for me to hold you up for much longer."

He did as he was told (Hermione noticed his shampoo was cheap and obviously ineffective) and was mostly clean a few minutes later. "I must use the toilet," he informed her as they stepped out.

"You're on your own on that one," she replied crisply, letting him lean against the counter by the loo rather than her before she hurried out so he could do his business.

After he finished, she helped him back to the bedroom. She went to the kitchen and prepared them both dinner and dessert. He did not thank her, and they ate in silence.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

A/N: So, I know I say to review, and I always love constructive criticism, however, I do not appreciate being blatantly told that I'm wrong. First of all, anger can be an excuse for stupidity. I realise Hermione is still being a blunt bitch, but chill out, it's all part of the plot. And the other thing. You know what they do in hospitals for people with fevers that could potentially _kill _them? They put them in an _ice bath_. Yeah. I've seen it done. It's generally not a good thing, since the person could go into shock, but it gets the temperature down. Which is the point. So, if you're going to leave snotty reviews because you don't like the fanfiction, why are you reading it? If you don't like it, don't read it. Isn't it as simple as that?

Disclaimer: I realise I've been forgetting these. I do not own Harry Potter in any way, shape or form. :B I wish I did.

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Hermione had been forced to keep company with Severus Snape for a week, now. It was getting increasingly boring to piss him off, so she had mostly refrained from doing so. He kept quiet in his room, and she helped him with the necessities.

So when his voice, loud and clearly upset, rang throughout the house, she was quite startled.

"Granger! _Granger!_ Get your smart mouth up here, _now!_" came the cry from the upstairs bedroom.

Hermione glanced towards the staircase in bewilderment, wondering what she possibly could have done wrong now. She closed her book and tread gingerly up the stairs, tucking a lock of straggly hair behind her ear as she went. She pushed open the door, and the second she saw him she knew what was wrong.

He held in his hands a book. The same book he had been revising merely a few days ago.

"What have you _done?_" he growled, throwing the book at her rather violently.

Hermione didn't need to open it to know what he meant, but she did anyways. All of his messy provisions had been eradicated, leaving only the text. She slowly closed the book, her eyes moving upward and locking with his.

"I know how _flustered_ both you and Madam Pince get when a book is defiled, Professor," she replied coolly.

This sent Severus into a rage. "You filthy… Gryffindor!" he shouted, obviously wishing very much that he was not constrained to his bed. "How dare you! Y-years of work! _Gone!_"

Hermione stared at him for a moment longer. "Well, if you would give me the chance to finish," she replied hotly. She turned to his nightstand, opening the cupboard underneath and handing him another book. She also procured a quill and ink, setting them on top of the smooth oak cabinet.

Severus glanced down at the book, flipping it open and ruffling through it. In the girl's much tidier scrawl were all of his notes. There were numbers indicating what page and recipe the provisions were for, as well as footnotes that explained how each one was better for the potion than what was written in the original book. Much more detailed than he had even bothered with.

"What is this?" he demanded, still sounding somewhat furious.

"If you would read a few lines, I think you'd find out. I thought as a Potions Master you'd know."

"Why have you done this?" he asked, glancing up at her briefly. "I was perfectly fine with defiling my own books, thank you."

The young woman rolled her eyes. "Frankly, I've got nothing better to do. It's not like you are enjoyable company, nor like you have anything interesting to do in this dank place."

Severus pursed his lips. He was unsure of how to respond. He certainly was not going to thank her. "Very well. You may go now."

Hermione watched him unsurely, then nodded and turned away from him. She reached the door, then hesitated. "Professor?"

"Yes, Miss Granger?" he drawled exasperatedly.

"Is there anything in particular you would like for lunch? I have not yet decided."

The cantankerous man turned his gaze to where she was standing. "No. Make whatever you please."

Hermione nodded and exited the room.

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Short chapter is short =_= I promise the next chapter will be longer.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N

I'm so sorry for the long wait, everyone. I'm going to be moving to a new account. /~nomorestars

Crazy things have happened. I started college, failed my first semester, met the love of my life, decided I would drop out at the end of second semester, planned a future, the love of my life dumped me, lost those future plans, and then was kicked out of my house. I'm living in the dorms but by the end of the summer I could very well be in a homeless shelter, and without internet access. Until then, between trying to sell things on Etsy and trying to find a job, I will try to update.

I will be taking the following stories with me, re-beta them, and re-post them (but will leave their unedited versions here).

-Obsidian Fire  
-Revisited, Replaced  
-The Fairest One of All

You may see chapters missing, edited, or rearranged, particularly with The Fairest One of All. I suggest rereading and please, reviewing again c:

Thank you so much for everyone who has stuck with me this far.

-Sky


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